Whale Watching on Maui

No, you don't have to
go on a boat to see whales if you are here during the right time of
the year. It is common to see people standing on a hillside overlooking the ocean and
watching the signs of distant whale activity through binoculars.

You can often SEE whales
from shore ... but you can't EXPERIENCE them from that
distance. There is a tremendous difference between
watching a whale splashing in the water two miles away
and experiencing the thrill of looking over the edge of
the boat and having one of these gentle giants swim
directly underneath you. If you are here during peak
season from December 15th to April 15th, do yourself a
favor and go on a whale watch.

NOTE: Most whale watches will be operating starting Christmas week and continuing through early to mid April.

Whale Explorer

Our
price: $39 (kids 5-12 $30) Under 5 free

Our
favorite whale watch ... it's F-A-S-T which means you spend
more time watching whales and less time looking for them. The Explorer is a hard-shelled
boat with an inflatable edge (like a large zodiac) which gives a
fast, smooth ride and a front row seat for every passenger. The speed of
these boats adds another 15-30 minutes of actual whale watching
during a two hour whale watch compared to larger boats. This
boat leaves from Lahaina harbor, and they have trips daily at 8am,
10am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. Please note that the size of this vessel
means that the ride is more adventurous than larger boats. NO
CHILDREN UNDER 3.

Whale
Explorer is offering a WHALE of a combo deal ... go on one of
their morning snorkel trips to Lanai and save $15 per adult off the
list price of a whale watch. For more information on this special combo,
see our Lanai dolphin
page.

The
Whale Explorer begins operating 10am and 12:30pm tours on or about December 12th. 8am and 2:30pm tours will be added based upon demand. They will conclude whale watches approximately April
15th

SEA / V

Teralani 7:30am Early Bird Whale Watch

Departing
at 7:30am offered on Monday and Wednesday only from Kaanapali Beach, the Teralani offers a
two-hour whale watch with breakfast snacks, kona
coffee, tropical juices, and Teralani "Pogmosas". The
Teralani is a beautiful sailing catamaran that pulls right up to Kaanapali Beach and
you take off your shoes and walk across the sand to get on
board. Note: Teralani also charges a $5pp fuel surcharge on all
tours.

Teralani 10am Whale Watch with Breakfast

Departing
at 10am every day except for Saturday from Kaanapali Beach, the Teralani offers a
two-hour whale watch with a continental breakfast, kona
coffee, tropical juices, and Teralani "Pogmosas". 10am is considered to be "prime time" for whale watching and is the time slot most likely to sell out the furthest in advance. Note:Teralani also charges a $5pp fuel surcharge on all
tours.

Teralani 12:30pm Whale Watch

Departing
at 12:30pm every day except for Saturday from Kaanapali Beach, the Teralani also offers a
two-hour early afternoon whale watch which includes dry snacks, beer, wine, soda, and juice.
Note:Teralani also charges a $5pp fuel surcharge on all
tours.

The
Teralani operates their whale watch until April 1st.

TSE / V

Blue Water Rafting Whale Watch

Our
price: Adults $39 ... kids (ages 5-12) $34

Departing
from Kihei Boat Ramp, Blue Water Rafting offers 90 minute tours on their high-speed RHIBs. (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat). The speed of these rafts gets you to the whales quickly, and the waters off Kihei are shallow and many whale calves are born in this area. This is a great option for those who don't want to drive to the west side of the island. Dedicated whale watches are held daily at 8am, 10am, and 12pm. (They also offer a whale watch / Molokini Express combo found on our Molokini page.) Note: No one with neck or back injuries, no one pregnant, and minimum age is 5.

Blue Water Rafting operates their dedicated whale watches from January 15th to March 15th.

BWR / V

Aqua Adventures Private Whale Watch

Our
price: $871.72 for private charter up to 40 people

Aqua Adventures operates a morning snorkel tour to Molokini, but is available for exclusive private charters for whale watching and sightseeing in the afternoons. Departing from Maalaea Harbor at 1pm, the trip is 2.5 hours long and the rate includes a crew gratuity of 15%. Aqua Adventures can accommodate groups of up to 40 guests on an afternoon whale watch, or offers an affordable way for a larger family to have an exclusive whale watching experience. Please note that Aqua Adventures does not sell individual seats ... they only operate whale watches as exclusive private charters. Please include the approximate number of guests when making your reservation using the form to the right.

AQUA / V

Cruise Ship Clients

NCL cruise ship passengers in Kahului are able to do a whale
watch on either day they are in port in Kahului. Lahaina whale
watches (which we prefer) are an hour drive by rental
car. We can arrange a rental car with shuttle pick-up at the
harbor for $39 per day; see our rental
car page for more information. Lahaina cruise ship passengers can
do whale watching while in port since the Whale Express
and Spirit of Lahaina both leave from the same harbor where your cruise ship tender arrives.
You can book either the midmorning, noon, or early
afternoon time slots.

ACTIVITY TIPS

No, you don't have to go on a boat to see whales. During the peak season (mid-January to mid-April) it is very common to be able to see whales from the shore. But these sightings are usually pretty far away ... it is not a particularly impressive sight to watch a whale jump out of the water three miles away. And these creatures are SO impressive when you experience them close-up. There is a big difference between SEEING a whale and EXPERIENCING a whale. There is a popular whale watching site along the Pali Highway a few miles west of Maalaea Harbor. The scenic overlook there is often packed during peak whale season with people who are too cheap to spend $30 to really experience these gentle giants. Do yourself a favor ... go on a whale watching cruise.

The Humpback Whales begin to arrive in November, and most of them have arrived by the beginning of January. Whale Searches usually begin sometime around Thanksgiving ... sightings that early in the season may not be guaranteed. That changes in December. During the peak season all the boats guarantee that you will see whales. If you are here in February you won't have to worry about getting skunked ... it will be whale soup out there! They love the warm, shallow waters between Maui, Kahoolawe, Molokai, and Lanai.

There are so many boats that do whale watching, I couldn't even begin to list them here. My favorite boat is the Whale Explorer because it is a smaller, FAST boat which guarantees you spend less time getting to the whales and more time actually watching them. This kind of raft isn't for everyone though; they don't allow anyone with neck or back injuries or anyone pregnant as the ride can be bumpy at times.

How close will you get to the whales? That depends on the whales. By law, the boats must stop 100 yards away from a whale. They are incredibly curious animals though, and they OFTEN approach much closer than that. Sometimes they mug the boat, and you may get the rare treat of smelling whale breath! The sound of a spouting whale is something you will not forget ... it is much like the puff of a steam engine locomotive.

Best time of day? The whales will put on a good show anytime you like. The morning tends to be less windy though. The mid-morning trips usually fill up a few days in advance, so reserve in advance to get the best time of day!

# Adults: (21 and older)

# Teens: (age 13-19)***

# Children: (age 3-12)

# Infants: (2 & under)

***Only the Teralani offers a teen rate. Teens will be charged the adult rate on all other boats